Conveyer control



6. C.'PAXTON in AL cofivEY ER CONTROL Dec. 8, 1942.

Filed Oct. 4, 1940. 4v Sheets-Sheet 5 Q GERALD 63' mxmv mew G. c. PAXTON EIAL CONVEYER CONTROL Filed Oct. 4, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 PC/l 1 II I: M

AW wwww w m fivmesw 652/20 0. P.4X70/V adaptable to control the conveyer control which the control is suitable without conveyer intersection Patented Dec. 8, 1942 Gerald G. Paxton and Howard L. Porch, Riverside,

Calif., assignors to Food Machinery Corporation, San Jose, ware Calif a corporation of Dela- Application October 4, 1940, Serial No. 359,76

Claims. (01. 198-21) This invention relates to conveyer controls, and particularly to controls responsive to articles car.-

ried on the conveyer.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel conveyer control of this type which is operation of a conveyer for delivering articles onto another conveyer through an intersection between said conveyors.

It is a further object to provide such a novel will operate automatically to prevent the intersection;

It is another object of the invention to protrolling the delivery of boxes into an intersection between two conveyers, in which the box responsive elements of the control are such that alteration for use either with a belt conveyer or with a chain conveyer.

The manner of accomplishing the foregoing objects, as well as further objects and advantages, will be made manifest in the following description taken in connection with the following drawings, in which: r

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a belt conveyer intersection incorporating a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of a chain Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4 with a portion of the frame of one of the conveyers, of said intersection broken;-

away to reveal the operation of the control mechanism. In this view, the situation here illustrated is where there are no boxes in the intersection on the main conveyer but where a box is approaching the intersection on the feed conveyer.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 and illustrating the situation which exists. just following that illustrated in Fig. 6 where in themeantime a box enters the intersection on the main con veyer. N i

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 and illustrates the situation which immediately follows that H shown. in Fig. 7 when a box traveling on the feed :1

with which a preferred embodiment of the invention is incorporated.

jamming of boxes in such an belt supporting rollers linked together by links 4|.

ticularly to the preferred conveyer II and a secondary less than the length of a conveyer engages and actuates a control element for stopping the feed conveyer.

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 8.

' Referring specifically to the drawings, and parembodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1, and 4 to .9, inclusive, the invention is there seen to be incorporated in an intersection l0 formed between a primary conveyer I2.

The conveyer ll includes side frame members It and I1 which are supported on legs l8 and which are provided with rail brackets 20 and 2|. The frame members l6 and I! are preferably formed of sheet metal rolled into channel form,

as clearly shown in Fig. 6, to provide side walls 25, from which upper and lower walls 26 and 21 are bent, the walls 26 having flanges 28 bent downwardly from their inner edges. Mounted between the flanges 28 are a series ofpr imary 29 and idle rollers 30 are rotatably' supported between the side walls 25. Suitable end pulleys (not shown) are provided in the conveyer II for supporting opposite ends of and driving a conveyer belt 3|, the upper flight of this belt resting on the rollers 29 and traveling continuously in the direction of the arrow 32, while the lower flightof this belt returns in the opposite direction while supported on the rollers 30.

As shown in Fig. 7, the belt '3! is suitable for supporting and conveying alongtheprimary conveyer H a box B which is considerably wider than the belt. This box, in fact; extends outwardly over the side frame members I 6 and I1.

Pivotally mounted on spacer shafts supported by cap screws 36 on the frame members 16 and I1 is a series of box responsive levers 31 which extend upwardly through openings 38 in the upper walls 26 of the frame member I6 and have downwardly extending arms 40 which are There are three of these levers 3'1 which are spaced apart slightly box B and normally extend upwardly into the path of boxes on the conveyer ll.

The secondary conveyer I2 includes side frame members 42 and 43, the front ends of which preferably abut against and are secured to the side frame member I 6 of the conveyer l I, as shown in Figs. 3. and 6. These side frame members 42 and 43 are supported on suitable legs (not shown) but which are similar to legs ill of the conveyer II and are provided with guide rail brackets 44 and 45.

The side frame members 42 and 43 are identical in construction to the side frame members It and I1 previously described, and the same reference numerals will be used for the detail elements of the members 42 and 43 when referring to the same.

Rotatably mounted between the side frame members 42 is a pulley 48 and a power roller 49, the pulley 48 having sprockets 50 and 51. The roller 49 has a sprocket 52, the sprockets 52 and 59 being connected by a chain 53.

Mounted on the bottom walls 21 of the side frame members 42 and 43 isa geared motor power unit 54 having a sprocket 55 which is connected by a chain 53 to the sprocket .51, this chain passing through suitable openings 51 provided in the bottom wall 21 of the frame member 53.

Supported between the flanges 2B of the side frame members 42 and 43 are idle rollerstt! which support the upper flight of a conveyer 'belt 6| which is trained about and driven by the power unit 54 in the direction of the arrow 62 (see Fig. 6). The lower flightof .the belt '51 is supported on suitable idle rollers (not shown) on the secondary conveyer 1.2, and returns to the opposite end .of the conveyer where this belt is trained aroundan idle pulley '(not shown).

Fixed at its opposite ends to the flanges 2.3 of the side frame members 42 and 43 close to the pulley 48 .is a control member supporting shaft 63, .this rotatably supporting a control member 64. This member has a hub .65, a cam arm 6%, a stop 61 extending upwardly from the end of this arm, :and a pair of :ears 68 extending downwardly from the end of the arm. The hub 65 is centralized on the shaft .63 by collars 19.

.Secured to vbottom walls 2-1 of the frame members 42 and 43 is a plate 1| on which is mounted a switch 12 having an arm 13, on the end of which is a roller .14, this roller being located .be-

.neath the center of the :conveyer 12. Fixed on the plate 11 directly above the roller 14 is asleeve 15, in which vertically slides the stem 15 of a toggle base 11, this base having a stop finger 13.

Surrounding the sleeve 15 and yieldably urging the toggle base 11 upwardly, is a spring 88. Adjustably threaded onto the lowerend of the stem 1.6.are lock nuts '8I which limit the upward movement of the toggle base 111 in response to the spring 80.

Pivoted between the ears B8 is a gimbal head of a toggle 88. This toggle also includes a pair of links '89 which are pivotally connected to the toggle .base. 11 and have their otherends, aswell as the lower ends of the links .31, pivotally connected to thehead 99 of a springrod 91.

The rod 9| slides in a trunnion block 92 and has lock nuts 93 on its lower end. Coiled about the rod 9| between the block 92 and the rod head 99 "is an expansion spring 94.

The trunnion block 92 is pivotally mounted within a bifurcated arm 95 provided on a shaft 96 which is journalled in suitable bearings 91 fixed on the bottom of the plate 11. The opposite end of the shaft 96 has fixed thereto an arm :98 which is connected by a link 99 to the adjacent primary box responsive lever 31. (See Figs. 6

and 9.)

Supported on upper ends of the brackets 2! is a guide rail H0. Fixed on upper ends of the brackets 29 and the bracket 45 is a guide rail H I. Supported by the bracket 44 and pair of brackets 29 cm theprimary conveyer .I I is a guide rail 2. These guide rails are suitably shaped pressing one of the levers :swing upwardly as shown in Figs. .1, 4, and .6.

Operation The conveyers which unite to form the intersection =10 are especially adapted for handling loaded boxes such as packed boxes of oranges and for purposes of illustration it is assumed that these conveyers are operated for this purpose. The control member 64 is adapted to be so operated by the levers 31 and the mechanism connecting "these as to stop the secondary conveyer [2 whenever there is any danger of a box being discharged from the latter colliding with another box traveling on .the primary conveyer "H. The manner in which this is done'is as follows:

Whenever no box is on the conveyer H de- 31, these are free to This results in a rotation of the shaft 95 which pulls the rod 91 downwardly as shown in Fig. 14, thus collapsing the toggle 88, permitting the member 64 to drop downwardly entirely out of the path of boxes carried on the conveyer -12. (See Figs. 4 and 6.)

When the member 64 is thus depressed, it does not interfere in anyway with the passage of boxes thereover. As each box travels from the conveyer belt .6! over the member'ii l and onto the power driven roller 49 and the weight of the box commences to be picked up by this roller, this roller speeds up the travel of the box .so as to cause a gap between it and the one following it and thus prevents any face-to-face jamming -.of the foremost box with the next box behind'it as the foremost box is fed from the conveyer l2 into the intersection It).

The face-tc-face relation which is thus avoided has in the past been a cause for the =jamming of boxes in conveyer intersections and :is entirely eliminated in the present invention.

Whenever a box approaches the intersection 19 on the conveyer 12 at the same time a 'box approaches this intersection on the conveyer H, so that the latter boxengagesioneof the levers .31 before the first mentioned box comes oppositethe control member 64, the invention operates as follows:

Upon the depression, as by box B on the primary conveyer l l of the first of the levers 31.this rotates the shaft 96 and as shown in Fig. 5 swings the arm 95-upwardly, bringing the-pressure of the spring 94 to bear against the red head on which the links in the toggle -98 are pivoted and thus tends to straighten out the toggle 88 into over-balanced condition as shown. in Fig. 5 in which the center of the toggle bears against the stop finger 18. This straightening out of the toggle 88 lifts the control member .64 into its upwardmost position shown in Fig. '1 provided that at the time the shaft .96 is thus rotated a box being discharged fromthe secondary conveyer I2 is not disposed directly over this member.

If at the time of this rotation of the shaft 95 a box should be thus disposed it would hold the member 64 down substantially in the same position in which it is shown in Fig. 6, even though the spring 94 would be compressed and thus tend to straighten out the toggle-88 andlif-t the memcarried on the conveyer I2. I

When the box A comes into contact with the member 64 with the latter thus positionedyit exercises a camming action on the member 64 so -as to swing this downwardly, this motion being transmitted through the toggle 88 to the toggle base stem 16 and from this to the roller I4 and j arm 13 of, the switch 12, thereby shutting off the latter and halting the conveyer I2.

Figs. 8 and 9 show the situation which exists when box A On the conveyer I2 has cammed the member 64 downwardly sufiiciently to shut oif the switch 12 and stop the, conveyer I2 from operating. I There is a certain amount of coasting of this conveyer which takes place after the motor unit 54 is de-energized, and the stop 61 provided on the end of the cam arm 66 is for the purpose of causing the foremost box on the conveyer to halt in a given position when this conveyer is stopped. This assures uniform co-operation of the two conveyers and prevents jamming of the intersection III.

As soon as box B passes over the third lever 31 adjacent to the apex of the guide rod I II (see .Fig. 1) all three of these levers are free to rock into their normal position as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, which pulls downwardly on the rod 9| and breaksthe toggle 88, thus lowering the member 64 p to the position in which it is shown inFig. 6 and T permitting the spring 88 to lift the toggle base II so as to release the arm I3 from pressure of the stem 18. The switch 12 is thus closed, starting themotor unit 54 and the conveyer I2 driven thereby,

The box A is thus delivered across the member 64 onto the roller 49 and then onto the conveyer II in the normal manner described hereinabove.

zontal plane in which a 'box on the conveyer I2 engages the member 64 and the inclination given to the face of the stop 6'! which is. engaged by such a box, causes a contact between this box and the stop member 6'Iat a time when the toggle 88 is not extended to cam the member 64 further downwardly so that the box passes over the top of the stop 61. I 1

As already mentioned, the foremost box delivered from the conveyer I2 onto the conveyer I I is sped up when passing over the roller 49 so as to create a, space between it and the next following box and this prevents a jam in the intersection which might otherwise occur as the result of the foremost box traveling into the intersection at the head of a series of boxes which are disposed in snug end-to-end contact. The operation of I the conveyer control of the invention is also seen The speeding up of this box as it travels over the roller 49 leaves a gap between it and the next box which provides adequate space in front of the latter, into which the member 64 may be lifted,

provided another box traveling along the conveyer I I should at that moment move into contact with the first of the levers 31.

The switch 12 is only shut off by the member 64, however, when the latter is engaged by a box on the conveyer I2 at a time when this member 64 is inclined upwardly as shown in Fig. '7. If a box should be traveling along the conveyer I 2 so as to extend over the member 64 a suflicient distance to prevent the latter from being lifted up to this position by contact of a box on the conveyer II with the first lever 31, the toggle 88 cannot be extended and the pressure of the box on the member 64 will cause the spring 94 to be collapsed and the box will ride right over the member 64 and continue traveling through the intersection.

As the box which thus passes over the member 64 will be delivered onto the conveyer II in advance of the box which has just engaged the first member 31 as aforesaid, the latter box will remain in contact with one or the other of the members 31 after the first mentioned box has passed over the member 64 and freed this. Under the pressure of the spring 94 the toggle 88 will be immediately extended and the member 64 snapped to'stop any box which arrives at the end of the conveyer I2 in the position of box A in Fig. 7 during a period beginning with the contact by a box on the conveyer II with the first of the levers 31 and ending with the passage. of this box on the conveyer I I out of contact with the third of these levers.

The levers 31 are so located andspaced along the conveyer II that any boxon the conveyer I2 which extends over the member 64 at the time a box traveling on the conveyer I2 comes into contact with the first lever 31, has ample time to travel from the conveyer I 2 through the intersection and onto the conveyer II without interfering with this box on the conveyer I I. It is also clear that any box subsequently arriving at the end of the conveyer I2 while one or the other of the levers 3'! is still depressed by a box on the conveyer II will actuate the member 64 so as to stop the conveyer I2 and haltthe box causing this in the position of box A in Fig. 8.

i It is likewise to be noted that where the conber 64 of a box at the discharge end of the conveyer I2, the latter conveyer is started immediately when the levers 31 are freed to rise into the position in which they are shown in Fig.4.

This freeing of the levers 3'! always occurs just as a box on the conveyer II passes from over the third of the levers 31. Owing to the fact that the leading box on the conveyer I2 at the time the latter is thus halted is always in a given position-that is, with the front end of the box against the stop E'I-and as the only box on the conveyer II with which this firstmenticned box may jam is at that moment always located at a given position on the conveyer II, it is possible, with mathematical accuracy, to design the intersection II) so that these two boxes can never jam with each other. The patent drawings illustrate, practically to scale, a commercial installationof the invention with the proper proportions to prevent jamming of the boxes. In this installation, the conveyer belt 3| preferably travels at one and one-half times the rate of the belt 6|.

Another advantage of the conveyer control of the invention is that it is adapted to be employed with equal facility in an intersection between conveyers having belts such as the conveyors II and I2 and with an intersection between conveyers having chains, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. These figures illustrate an intersection I28 between conveyers I2I and I22. The only difference between the intersection I20 and intersection II] is that the conveyers I2I and I22 employ pairs of chains I23 and I24 respectively in place of belts for carrying the boxes. It is thus seen that the levers 3'1 may be installed in a side channel frame I25 of the conveyer B2! in the intersection I20 in exactly the same way as they are installed in the side frame member .16 of the conveyer H. When thus installed, the

levers 3'! function in exactly the same manner wardly into the path of said boxes adjacent the discharge end of said conveyer for rocking said member upwardly in the path of said boxes; toggle means responsive to the downward swinging of said control member, "caused by engagement of a box therewith to stop said conveyer; and

yieldable means for extending said toggle means to shift said control member upwardly as aforesaid, said yieldable means yielding when operated while a box is disposed over said member, so as to prevent the lifting of said member.

2. In a device for controlling movement of a box handling power conveyer, thecombination of: power transmission means for operating said conveyer; means causing a free space in advance of a box carried on said conveyer; a control member adapted to be shifted into said space into .a position to resent an obliquely disposed cam surface to a front corner edge of said box so that continued movement of said box on said conveyer operates to c'am said member outwardly from said space; means for shifting said member inwardly into said position; and means rendered operative by the camming outward of said member from said position to interrupt said transmission means and halt said conveyer, said last recited means being inoperative to halt said conveyer when the movement of said member toward said position is obstructed by its contacting a longitudinal face of a box, said halting means after having halted said conveyer being responsive to the relaxing of saidmember shifting means to start said conveyer.

aforesaid position is provided on said member to come into play,

after saidmember has been extended into the in said space and :then cammed outwardly so as to interrupt said power transmission means, to engage a forward face of the box engaging said member to physically obstruct further forward movement of said box should said conveyer not yet have been completely halted.

. 4. A combination as in claim 2 in which a-stop is provided on said member to come into play, after said member has been extended into the aforesaid position in said space and then cammed outwardly so as to interrupt said power transmission means, to engage a forward face of the box engaging said member to physically obstruct further forward movement of said box should said conveyer not yet have been completely halted, said stop :having a cam face presented to said boxsothat in the event said shifting means should shift saidmember toward said position at a time when a box is disposed opposite said memberand yet not entirely past said member so that the front end of said box engages said stop, said halting means will be inoperative to halt said conveyer andsaid stop when engaged by said box will be cammed out of the path of said box so as to permit the latter to continue on said conveyer.

. 5. A combination as in claim 2, in which said member shifting -means includes a toggle and yieldable means foractuating said toggle to extend the latter and thereby shift said member into said space, and in which said transmission interrupting means is adapted tobe actuated to stop said conveyer only by pressure transmitted from said member through .said toggle when the latter is fully extended, said yieldable means yielding when said toggle is prevented from responding to said yieldable means by the contact of said member with a box.

GERALD C. PAXTON. HOWARD L. PORCH. 

